LAOS: The Long Reign

During all his 55 years on the thronethe
longest reign of any living monarch it sometimes seemed as if King
Sisavang Vong of Laos had found a way to survive history simply by
ignoring it. He never openly fought for independence from the French,
but instead of earning the resentment of his people, he won only
greater affection. When the French urged him to take a firmer stand
against the Japanese in World War II, he patiently explained: "My
people do not know how to fight; they only know how to sing and...